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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
- Sprache: Englisch
The BIM Manager's Handbook: Guidance for Professionals in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction
Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a design and construction software that manages not just graphics, but also information—information that enables the automatic generation of drawings and reports, design analysis, schedule simulation, facilities management, and cost analysis—ultimately enabling any building team to make better-informed decisions. This allows a range of professionals—architects, engineers, construction managers, surveyors, cost estimators, project managers, and facility managers—to share this information throughout a building's lifecycle. BIM is now recognized worldwide for the efficiencies it delivers in terms of working collaboratively, communication, processes, cost savings, and a property's lifecycle management.
With the widespread adoption of BIM, BIM Managers have become a much-needed new breed of professionals in architectural, engineering, and construction practice. Their role is often misunderstood and ill-defined, and such are the day-to-day deliverables that they are likely to face. The BIM Manager's Handbook provides an in-depth account of the breadth of activities that any BIM Manager or staff member, who is actively engaged in the delivery of project, is required to undertake.
Providing prereleases of the final work, The BIM Manager's Handbook ePart series isolates significant topics around BIM management. In the sixth and final ePart, BIM is taken to the next level by outlining what is required to truly excel as a BIM Manager. It highlights how BIM Managers acquire the necessary communication skills to maximize an efficient information flow between the BIM Manager and others. It illustrates how BIM Managers tie their activities to cutting-edge BIM research and development globally. Lastly, this ePart lays out how to promote BIM excellence both within an organization and beyond.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016
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THE BIM MANAGER’S HANDBOOK: GUIDANCE FOR PROFESSIONALS IN ARCHITECTURE, ENGINEERING, AND CONSTRUCTION
Dominik Holzer
Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Registered office
John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, United Kingdom
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Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services and neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.
ISBN 978-1-118-98242-6 (hardback); ISBN 978-1-118-98240-2 (epdf); ISBN 978-1-118-98234-1 (epub); ISBN 978-1-118-98231-0 (Wiley Online Library)
Executive Commissioning Editor: Helen Castle
Senior Production Manager: Kerstin Nasdeo
Assistant Editor: Calver Lezama
Cover design and page design: Artmedia
Layouts: Aptara
Front cover image: Copyright © Morphosis Architects
To my architect wife, who doesn't understand BIM.
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
INTRODUCTION: WHY BIM MANAGERS COUNT!
The BIM Manager: Focus on the Person behind the Title
Hands-On BIM
Revelations and Surprises
1 BEST PRACTICE BIM
BIM Managers: Breaking Ground
The Rise and Rise of BIM
Defining Good, or Even “Best Practice,” BIM
When BIM Goes Wrong — Examples of “Bad BIM”
The Tipping Point — How Do You Become Successful Using BIM?
Benchmarking BIM
Endnotes
2 CHANGE MANAGEMENT
Technology as a Driver for Innovation and Change
The Cultural Dimension of Change . . . and Its Management
Interfacing with Your Organization's Leadership and Management
Overcoming Change Resistance and Managing Expectations
Tips and Tricks
Endnotes
3 FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY
Interfacing Design Technology with Information Technology
Hardware/Software License Selection for BIM
Sharing BIM via Networks
BIM in the Cloud
Explaining Tool Ecologies
Interfacing BIM
Future Developments
Endnotes
4 BUILDING UP A BIM SUPPORT INFRASTRUCTURE
Propagating BIM
Starting with the End in Mind—Employer Information Requirements
Setting the (BIM) Standards
BIM Execution Plans
The BIM Placemat
The BIM Capability Statement
BIM Library Management
Reaching Out
Endnotes
5 DAY-TO-DAY BIM MANAGEMENT
The Broad Spectrum of BIM
Advancing BIM Strategically
Planning BIM on a Project
Fire-Fighting and Lending a Helping Hand
Endnote
6 EXCELLING YOUR BIM EFFORTS
In Search of BIM Excellence
Becoming a BIM Expert
Innovating with BIM and Educating Others
BIM Research
Reaching Out and Getting Noticed!
Distinguishing Your Service Offering via BIM
Embracing Lifecycle BIM
Working According to Local Guidelines and Standards
Moving Forward (While Catching Up)
Notes
EPILOGUE
INDEX
EULA
List of Tables
Chapter 2
Table 2.1
List of Illustrations
Introduction
Figures I-1
University of Sheffield Heartspace, Sheffield, United Kingdom.
Figures I-2
through I–4 KAFD Conference Center parametric design analysis, design to structural node fabrication, and subpanel layout.
Figure I-5
Project coordination meeting based on BIM.
Figure I-6
Mechanical system plant room in BIM.
Figure I-7
Ecclesall Road mixed-use development, Sheffield, United Kingdom.
Figure I-8
Discussing latest software applications at a Revit Technology Conference (RTC).
Chapter 1
Figure 1-1
Mapping out a possible role distribution surrounding BIM in a larger size design firm.
Figure 1-2
Detailed facade systems generated via BIM and visualized as a 3D rendering by COX Architects.
Figure 1-3
The new Royal Adelaide Hospital Construction BIM Services Model by the Hansen Yuncken Leighton Contractors Joint Venture.
Figure 1-4
The new Royal Adelaide Hospital Field BIM used by the Hansen Yuncken Leighton Contractors Joint Venture.
Figure 1-5
Arup, Aldar HQ Designer's impression and detailed construction model including steel and concrete detailing.
Figure 1-6
ALDAR Headquarters detailed construction model including steel and concrete detailing by Arup.
Figure 1-7
Detecting coordination issues in BIM via a model checker by Mitchell Brandtman 5D Quality Surveyors.
Figure 1-8
Comparing BIM versus traditional methods of delivery: Applying a combined protocol to regulate collaboration among stakeholders.
Figure 1-9
Strategic mapping of software interfaces to form a tool ecology associated with BIM delivery and beyond.
Figure 1-10
Aurecon, Barangaroo Headland Park Foreshore. Section comparing architect's and contractor's proposal for stone block arrangement.
Figure 1-11
Aurecon, Barangaroo Headland Park Foreshore. 3D View comparing architect's and contractor's proposal for stone block arrangement.
Figure 1-12
Barangaroo Headland Park Foreshore, cutting stone blocks from the onsite extraction hole.
Figure 1-13
Barangaroo Headland Park Foreshore, stone blocks in their final position.
Figure 1-14
Responses from industry experts about what constitutes Best Practice BIM.
Figure 1-15
Responses from industry experts about the metrics applying to Best Practice BIM.
Figure 1-16
Responses from industry experts about the benchmarks applying to Best Practice BIM.
Figure 1-17
Responses from industry experts about the tipping point for achieving Best Practice BIM.
Figure 1-18
Mapping BIM KPIs against timelines for implementation.
Figure 1-19
Establishing a Design Technology Budget with itemized listing of key cost factors.
Chapter 2
Figure 2-1
BIM applied on the precast concrete facade at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science by Morphosis Architects.
Figure 2-2
Emerson Los Angeles project by Morphosis: A geometric model that contains/embodies a large amount of information including constructability, costing, fabrication, and design.
Figure 2-3
Change Management graph, reducing the effort of project delivery.
Figure 2-4
Federated Revit Models in Navisworks for coordination reviews by HASSELL.
Figure 2-5
Best Use of BIM for Design, Drama, and Excitement at Build Sydney Live 2013, BIM Coordination Workshop result by HDR Rice Daubney.
Figure 2-6
After J. Hayes,
The Theory and Practice of Change Management
, 2010.
Figure 2-7
BHS Project by the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG): Balconies.
Figure 2-8
BHS Project by the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG): Close-up Render.
Figure 2-9
BHS Project by the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG): Balconies Control Points.
Figure 2-10
BIM skill level development on an individual level.
Figure 2-11
Strategic BIM skill roadmap considering individual strengths and organizational goals.
Figure 2-12
High performance buildings, like Perkins+Will's Atlanta office at 1315 Peachtree St. in Atlanta, require diverse skill sets and technology perspectives to execute successfully. Strong, diverse internal social and organizational networks are a key component of building successful teams.
Figure 2-13
Perkins+Will major, multi-office project BIM planning incorporates perspectives from various domains in network: overall project manager, firm-wide BIM leader, office BIM managers, and project BIM managers representing several Perkins+Will and consultant offices.
Figure 2-14
BIM Audit Example—Comparison Matrix.
Figure 2-15
BIM Audit — An example of a skill-improvement response.
Chapter 3
Figure 3-1
Tool ecology example.
Figure 3-2
Resolving Design Technology and Information Technology issues in collaboration.
Figure 3-3
Network sharing diagram.
Figure 3-4
BIM sharing in the Cloud diagram.
Figure 3-5
Screenshot of the ACONEX user interface.
Figure 3-6
Example of a BIM-related tool ecology; focus on interoperability.
Figure 3-7
Tool use within a Common Data Environment.
Figure 3-8
Example of a BIM-related tool ecology with focus on supplementary applications.
Figure 3-9
AAM point cloud scan—Revit Café sample.
Figure 3-10a
NAB 700 Bourke Street, color distribution in an exploded axonometric of the facade system.
Figure 3-10b
NAB 700 Bourke Street, color distribution and closeup of a facade panel.
Figure 3-10c
NAB 700 Bourke Street, East Elevation.
Figure 3-11
NAB 700 Bourke Street, Ecotect analysis of facade elements.
Figure 3-12
A parametric stadia model by Geometry Gym.
Figure 3-13a
Optimized cross-section member schedule.
Figure 3-13b
Exploded axonometric drawing derived from BIM documentation.
Figure 3-13c
CAD to BIM via Dynamo.
Figure 3-14
Process diagram for model creation at Bond Bryan Architects, aligned with the RIBA Plan of Work 2013. Terminology in line with COBie-UK-2012/PAS 1192–4:2014.
Figure 3-15
Image of a NURBS model interface to Revit via Rhynamo.
Figure 3-16
NAB 700 Bourke Street, 3D render.
Figure 3-17
Mechanical BIM shop model ready for fabrication.
Figure 3-18
Paperless jobsite—Field BIM.
Figure 3-19
Connecting BIM to FM data, Zuuse Interface, Zuuse Pty Ltd.
Chapter 4
Figure 4-1
Caspian Waterfront, Baku Azerbaijan.
Figure 4-2
Examples of BIM support documents.
Figure 4-3
“Full BIM” text extracts from project briefs and other documents.
Figure 4-4
The principle behind Employer Information Requirements.
Figure 4-5
EIR in the context of other sources of information.
Figure 4-6
BIM Standards diagram.
Figure 4-7
Example of a BIM Execution Plan.
Figure 4-8
Typical workflow diagram as outlined in a BEP.
Figure 4-9
BIM Placemat example.
Figure 4-10
BIM Capability Statement content.
Figure 4-11
BIM workflow as described in the UK PAS 1192–2.
Figure 4-12
BIM Library wordle.
Figure 4-13
BIM Library structure and categories.
Figure 4-14
BIM Content strategy diagram.
Figure 4-15
Example of a BIM Content Request Form.
Figure 4-16
BIM training strategy diagram.
Figure 4-17
Example of a BIM training program.
Figure 4-18a
KnowledgeSmart Comparison Chart.
Figure 4-18b
KnowledgeSmart User Page.
Figure 4-19
Example of a BIM newsletter.
Figure 4-20
Spreading workload across the BIM and Design Technology team.
Chapter 5
Figure 5-1
University of Nottingham Technology Entrepreneurship Centre (TEC), Nottingham, UK.
Figure 5-2
Potential BIM spectrum.
Figure 5-3
BIM team organizational structure.
Figures 5-4a, b
BIM team meetings.
Figure 5-5
BIM coordination meeting.
Figure 5-6
BIM role description breakdown.
Figure 5-7
Changing BIM-team constellations.
Figure 5-8
Key Drivers for BIM Management.
Figure 5-9
Spreadsheet for planning time and resources.
Figure 5-10
Process map for project BIM resourcing.
Figure 5-11
Model output for use in Field BIM.
Figure 5-12
Augmented/mixed-reality construction model.
Figure 5-13
Perceived effort—Comparison matrix.
Figure 5-14
Multidisciplinary BIM Coordination session.
Figure 5-15
5D BIM cost and 4D BIM timeline.
Figure 5-16
Digital setout flowchart proposal.
Figure 5-17
Data extraction schemer for generating FM information from BIM.
Figure 5-18
BIM Manager assisting delivery on the floor.
Chapter 6
Figure 6-1
AMRC Factory 2050, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
Figure 6-2
Corporate campus project.
Figure 6-3
Cathay Pacific cargo terminal.
Figure 6-4
BIM review.
Figure 6-5
BIM/Design Technology blog example.
Figure 6-6
City information modeling.
Figure 6-7
Presenter at MelBIM, Australia.
Figure 6-8
BIM-MEP
Aus
forum.
Figures 6-9a-b
Impressions from a Revit Technology Conference (RTC).
Figure 6-10
BIM coordination.
Figure 6-11
Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (NAMRC), Rotherham, UK.
Figure 6-12
UK residential project.
Figure 6-13
iConstruct information interfaces.
Figure 6-14
SOM BIM Dashboard front page.
Figure 6-15
Examples of international BIM guidelines.
Figure 6-16
University of Nottingham Advanced Manufacturing Building (AMB), Nottingham, UK.
Figure 6-17
Airport terminal section.
Figure 6-18
Mosque shell fabrication.
Guide
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book was made possible by the generous support of a number of individuals and organizations, I'd hereby like to acknowledge. First and foremost I'd like to show my gratitude to all the experts who lent their insights either via comments or interview. (Full credits for those I interviewed and quoted can be found at the end of the relevant chapters.) I want to particularly thank the University of Melbourne for its support and specifically Prof. Mark Burry in the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning for his guidance. I would also like to mention the assistance given to me by Steve Sanderson and Daniel Davis at WeWork (previously at CASE). They opened up their networks and introduced me to some of the key individuals who enriched this book with their commentary. Lastly, I would like to thank my publisher Wiley, and notably Helen Castle and Calver Lezama for their patience and their insistence in getting the best out of me in this truly transcontinental effort.
INTRODUCTION:WHY BIM MANAGERS COUNT!
BIM is changing, and rapidly so. While it remained predominantly the domain of technology specialists in architecture and engineering firms in the early twenty-first century, it is now steadily gaining relevance for a broad range of stakeholders in the design, construction, manufacture, and operation of built assets. Hand in hand with the dissemination of BIM comes the dissemination of knowledge associated to its application and the diversification of tasks associated to its management. BIM Managers are becoming far more relevant than simply acting as implementers of technology. They are in fact change agents and if they do their job well, it ties in closely with the core business pursued by their organizations. Beyond that, BIM Managers are becoming key innovators who help to transform the construction industry and associated professions globally.
Figures I–1 University of Sheffield Heartspace, Sheffield, United Kingdom.
Copyright © Bond Bryan Architects LTD
This Handbook was conceived to offer concise guidance and support to those trying to embrace the many facets of BIM Management. The chapters herein were originally published online as six eParts, each one related to all others, but at the same time sufficiently distinct to act as independent contributions to a whole. The sequential release as eParts has led to discrete, easily digestible sections on highly profiled topics, allowing for latest trends and developments about BIM to be included. In book form, the structure has the advantage that contents are very focused. The reader can go to individual chapters on a needs-to basis for information and advice.
The BIM Manager: Focus on the Person behind the Title
This publication adds to the existing body of work about BIM by taking a specific stance, namely the view of the BIM Manager. The BIM Manager's Handbook not only offers insights into contemporary research and trends associated to BIM, it is also highly reflective about the opportunities and challenges related to work undertaken by BIM Managers in contemporary practice. Over 50 leading architecture, engineering, and construction experts from the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia have lent their voice in telling their stories and providing their feedback to this publication. Their view is that the job title of “BIM Manager” cannot easily be identified via a uniform set of tasks. Instead, BIM Manager roles vary greatly across sectors and companies. Clearly falling under the emerging field of Design Technology, BIM Manager tasks stretch across a great number of responsibilities associated to the planning, design, delivery, and operation of built assets.
Channeled into six cohesive chapters, The BIM Manager's Handbook offers a key reference for those currently engaged with BIM—as well as those who are considering applying BIM on future projects. The chapters put equal emphasis on practical application as well as strategic planning and overarching principles associated to implementing BIM. One other factor that sets The BIM Manager's Handbook apart from related publications is the fluent cross-over of technical, social, policy, as well as business-related aspects of BIM. The role of the BIM Manager is in constant flux. BIM Managers stem from all walks of life: technology gurus, 3D modeling specialists, construction experts, drafting guns, coordination experts … the list goes on. In current practice, most of these self-proclaimed BIM Managers have somehow grown into the role with only a very small percentage having undergone specific BIM Management training.
Given the ever-expanding context of BIM, one might struggle to find a clear definition of what BIM Managers actually do. Yet, despite the multiple directions in which to respond to this question, the answer is simple: BIM Managers are here to manage. They manage process, they manage change, they manage technology, they manage people, they manage policies and in doing so, they manage an important part of their organization's business.
Paradoxically, as representatives of a newly emerging profession (if one can speak of one) BIM Managers are rarely skilled in management. More often than not, they are tasked to perform a narrow set of practical tasks that respond to day-to-day affordances of practice. If in the past it was sufficient for BIM Managers to know their tools, workflows, and workarounds (combined with decent people skills), the property, construction, and design industries start to expect more: With the increasing understanding that BIM is not merely a technical side aspect of practice comes the expectation that BIM Managers need a broader set of skills including “management acumen.” Such expectations are not only tied to a sound business sense, but they equally respond to an ever-growing set of policies, standards, and in some cases “mandates” that address how BIM is to be delivered in local jurisdictions. BIM is now more widely acknowledged as a contributing factor to reduce waste, the initial cost of construction, and the total cost of ownership of built assets. Next to that BIM can help to increase productivity across the construction supply chain and to reduce the impact of construction on the environment.
Figures I–2 through I–4 KAFD Conference Center parametric design analysis, design to structural node fabrication, and subpanel layout.
Copyright © Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLP
Figure I–5 Project coordination meeting based on BIM.
Copyright © Point Advisory
Given these realizations, it is surprising that the activities undertaken by BIM Managers are often badly understood within their organizations. It is not uncommon for BIM Managers to be tasked in defining their own role and to justify to upper management what it is they do.
Figure I–6 Mechanical system plant room in BIM.
Copyright © A.G. Coombs Pty Ltd
Anyone trying to draw a precise boundary around the role description of a BIM Manager will soon realize the pointlessness of such an attempt. Roles depend on the tasks at hand and the distribution of responsibilities across multiple stakeholders. With any new job these tasks and responsibilities change and so does the role of the BIM Manager. In addition to the dynamic inherent to BIM Management, it is more than likely that in the future BIM will form an integral part of project design, delivery, and the operation of built assets. Its application will cease being looked at as a separate component and those we currently identify as BIM Managers will simply be “Designers,” “Engineers,” “Contractors,” (or others) without requiring a BIM label. For now, BIM is still going through different rates of adoption throughout different industry sectors and geographic locations. Understanding its impact and the changes it effects on traditional means of project delivery is a crucial step for organizations to master. The BIM Manager(s) assist them on this path and they will do so for at least five to ten years to come.
Hands-On BIM
Instead of trying to offer an all-encompassing framework, The BIM Manager's Handbook explains how BIM can best be implemented by tapping into the on-the-floor experience of contemporary practice. By drawing from such expertise, hands-on feedback will guide the reader through a great number of real-life examples and anecdotes that will advance their own thinking. Many of these references get consolidated and summed up as practical “tips and tricks” that are easily digestible and translate to a great number of applications. Core to the information provided in all six chapters is the value proposition related to BIM and, inherent to this, the value proposition of the BIM Manager. The question thereby does not revolve any longer about use BIM or not, but about how to implement it successfully.
This Handbook clearly acknowledges the transient nature of BIM Management. It offers the reader an overview that aims at standing the test of time. The six chapters of this book each tackle a highly relevant portion of what those who manage BIM ought to know. First they set the scene on how to define Best Practice BIM in order to highlight the breadth of roles and responsibilities associated to its management. Drawing from this initial assessment, the consequent chapters then tackle distinct aspects of BIM Management in greater depth. Most importantly, this doesn't occur in the form of a mere technical explanation of day-to-day tasks. Instead The BIM Manager's Handbook addresses the wider significance of BIM Management responsibilities with far-reaching reflections on social issues, business directives, and knowledge acquisition. The reason behind this approach is simple: to answer what a BIM Manager needs to know and do in order to excel in his or her role.
When considering the BIM Manager role—the immediate needs and future requirements—it becomes apparent that there has been an overemphasis on the technology aspect in available literature. In response, this book only contains one chapter with a clear focus on technology. All others unravel the intricacies associated with BIM when instilling new ways of working, changing process, the importance of good communication, and the need for continuous skill acquisition.
BIM Managers need to learn to elevate their role beyond project support and position their activities among the leadership level of their firm and beyond. The Handbook describes how to achieve this change of emphasis and how BIM Managers can impact on the ongoing development of BIM through the construction sector, pushing for innovation and increased productivity. A great number of BIM experts and innovators who contributed to this publication are doing exactly this: sharing their research and facilitating dialogue with a high public profile. Examples of such excellence can be found in the work of Rob Jackson at Bond Bryan Architects in the United Kingdom who, together with his collaborators, keeps on investigating processes of IFC and COBie integration to the typical project delivery workflow. As a leading Quantity Surveyor, David Mitchell at Mitchell Brandtmann in Australia regularly publishes works about BIM “Return on Investment” on a macroeconomic scale. Another outstanding BIM proponent is James Barrett in the United States, who continuously reports on the approaches taken by Turner Construction to thrive for excellence in delivering projects using BIM and Lean Construction at conferences nationally and internationally. These are just some examples; more than 50 others have lent their voice to this publication.
In order to capture the knowledge of these global industry leaders, writing this book has taken the author on a journey of discovery and consolidation. An industry leader in his own right, who is actively engaged in the delivery of projects as well as the formulation of government policy surrounding BIM, it was pivotal to the author to reach out to a group of outstanding individuals globally. This exercise was undertaken in order to canvass both quantitative feedback (in the form of an initial survey), as well as qualitative comments from trusted experts in their field. The author has continuously expanded his network both geographically as well as thematically in order to capture both the breadth as well as the depth associated with BIM Management and its future development. The research for The BIM Manager's Handbook was undertaken online and in one-on-one encounters over a 15-month period. It resulted in numerous contributions from a lively, curious, and generous BIM community, united by common goals and concerns. One aspect that clearly emerged from the many discussions and the associated correspondence is everyone's enthusiasm and willingness to share their expertise and opinions. The insights offered in this publication are a testimony to the fact that the BIM community is bent on advancement over individual ownership.
Figure I–7 Ecclesall Road mixed-use development, Sheffield, United Kingdom.
Copyright © Bond Bryan Architects LTD
Revelations and Surprises
One of the revelations from writing this book has been the startling low level of awareness of BIM Managers about their role within professional practice. With most of them entering the BIM domain via narrow pathways, they first need to expand their focus in order to understand the bigger picture. Even if they do, they then require convincing arguments to bring their firm's leadership on board and guide them in their process of making BIM work both internally, as well as across collaborative project teams. Providing such guidance does not come without a struggle: In a risk-adverse industry with low profit margins, the push for innovation and process change needs to be well orchestrated. BIM Managers are the key facilitators for change. They balance and harmonize the cultural with the technical, the business drivers with new opportunities of information transfer and sharing, the big policies with practical execution within teams.
Figure I–8 Discussing latest software applications at a Revit Technology Conference (RTC).
Copyright © RTC Events Management Ptg LTD
The BIM Manager's Handbook demystifies a great number of misconceptions about BIM and it goes straight to the core of analyzing opportunities and challenges associated with BIM Management. It offers advice to fast-track every BIM Manager's and Design Technologist's development based on the knowledge of the best in business. It is set to become one of the key points of reference that will help us to globally take BIM further.
1BEST PRACTICE BIM
How does one get Building Information Modeling right in practice? What are the key tasks and challenges faced by BIM Managers in achieving “Best Practice BIM” and how can they master them? By drawing from the experience of some of the world's top BIM Managers, this publication gets to the bottom of these questions. There is much we can learn from their experience, no matter if good or bad. The following exposé consolidates a broad range of feedback from these leading experts and it provides support to those who strive for excellence in their pursuit of implementing BIM.
If we want to understand how BIM Managers can excel in their role, we first need to understand the principles behind getting BIM right. This publication scrutinizes BIM's changing context and looks to see if there is a “BIM formula of success.” The past decade has given us the opportunity to see a number of high-profile BIM projects through to completion. We learn from the mistakes we made on the way and we reflect on “Good,” or even “Best Practice” BIM. What might be the tipping point for its successful implementation? What are the typical thresholds and benchmarks that apply? Answers to these questions will assist BIM Managers to maximize BIM benefits not only intraorganizationally, but also across the broader project team.
BIM Managers: Breaking Ground
BIM Managers are a wholly new breed of professional. They emerged internationally in less than a decade, most markedly in larger tier 1 architecture and engineering practices. By strengthening integration across disciplines and project phases, BIM Managers become the conduit for facilitating the information exchange between the design, delivery, construction, and operation of projects. They play a central role in deciding where BIM is heading. On a practical level, BIM Managers are the custodians responsible for innovation to occur within their organization and in collaboration across project teams. They empower project stakeholders to understand and engage with the high level of complexity associated with a BIM workflow. They help them to align their skills with the added benefits offered by data-centric and rule-based delivery of projects.
A Role in Transition
Describing what BIM Managers do is a difficult task. What was once associated with responsibilities for overseeing BIM model development is now more and more associated with information management, change facilitation, process planning, technology strategies, and more. Such is the veracity and speed of development surrounding BIM that the job description of any BIM Manager is in constant flux. Given the ever wider group of stakeholders BIM encompasses, there exists an increasing fragmentation of the BIM Manager's role into specialized responsibilities: On one end of the spectrum the role of Model Managers emerges, who assist in-house teams on individual projects, at times complemented by specialist BIM Librarians (or Content Creators). On the other end of the spectrum, Model Coordinators specialize in the oversight of the multidisciplinary integration of BIM. BIM Managers may now also report to Design Technology Leaders or Project Information Managers who directly report to upper management. In some instances, an organization calls for a Strategic BIM Manager (as opposed to providing more technical support on the floor). All of the above descriptions depend on the size and characteristic of an organization. In smaller companies, the BIM Manager may well be tasked to incorporate all those roles, while acting as Project Architect and BIM Modeler at the same time.
There is likely to be a time where BIM Managers become obsolete and their responsibilities will become part of project management in general. A good number of Change Management activities will have been implemented and construction industries globally will accommodate BIM as a matter of course in their project delivery methods.
For now, we still go through a major transition in adopting BIM. BIM Managers need to balance between the possible and the appropriate. Their strategic view will influence which opportunities can and should be aligned with the cultural and professional context of their organization. They also help to map out how such alignment can be achieved. In the end, BIM Managers may not be the ultimate decision makers in facilitating change. They are the ones who provide upper management with decision support in order to do so and they are the ones accountable for BIM implementation “on the floor.”
Figure 1–1 Mapping out a possible role distribution surrounding BIM in a larger size design firm.
© Dominik Holzer/AEC Connect
What makes a good BIM Manager, or even an outstanding one? In order to answer that question feedback is consolidated here from the world's top BIM Managers to make it accessible to everyone. These managers work for leading Architecture, Engineering, Quantity Surveyor (Cost Engineers or Cost Managers in the United States), and Construction firms. They report on pitfalls and the common mistakes associated with BIM to then highlight what makes BIM tick in practice.
The Rise and Rise of BIM
BIM use has been expanding continuously since 2003,1 making BIM Management a moving target. Back then, BIM became the accepted industry acronym for a range of descriptions such as Virtual Design & Construction (VDC), Integrated Project Models, or Building Product Models. Until that point, different software developers had branded their tools with these varying acronyms, while essentially talking about the same object-oriented modeling approach that was first introduced to a wider audience by Chuck Eastman in the mid-1970s. Around 2002–2003, it was AEC Industry Analyst Jerry Laiserin2 who played a pivotal role in promoting the single use of the acronym “BIM” which had been coined by G.A. van Nederveen and Tolman in 19923 and which later became the preferred definition of Autodesk's Phil Bernstein. It was the starting point for an industry-wide journey to holistically address planning, design, delivery, and operational processes within the building lifecycle. This journey raises a great number of culturally sensitive and professionally relevant issues: By nature a disruptive process, the adoption of BIM overturns decades of conventions related to the interplay between architects, engineers, contractors, and clients. BIM Managers are drawn right into the center of these changes in practice.
Despite the clarity about BIM's origin, there is no clear starting point to the commercial breakthrough of BIM; conceptually, BIM dates back to the early 1970s with the introduction of mainframe computers.4 Some of the key BIM software platforms in use today have their origins in these early developments. The increase in processing power, the drop in price for computer hardware, and the connectivity offered via the World Wide Web gradually led to an increased adoption of BIM in the early 2000s. During that period, a critical mass was reached. BIM software became affordable and it matured to the point where its user-friendliness offered a viable alternative to existing CAD platforms. From that point onward CAD Managers were those individuals most likely tasked with the oversight of the implementation of BIM. With documentation output in mind, CAD Managers were supported by senior drafting personnel who were responsible for generating the contractually relevant 2D plans/sections/elevations from virtual models. The process of BIM modeling remained limited to Architectural Designers and Structural Engineers. The limited scope of BIM existed much to the frustration of Services Engineers and Contractors who had to wait for the availability of BIM tools to serve their purposes until 2007–2008. From 2010 onward, developments surrounding BIM accelerated. Increased software interoperability and an ever-expanding BIM tool ecology resulted in BIM becoming more and more accessible to Quantity Surveyors, Contractors, Facility Managers, and Client Representatives. The ever-expanding list of BIM stakeholders introduced a plethora of opportunities to manage information across disciplines and project stages. Significant consequences followed from this development.
Figure 1–2 Detailed facade systems generated via BIM and visualized as a 3D rendering by COX Architects.
COX Architects
With the broadening scope of BIM comes a diversification of what BIM Managers do: The more information can be exchanged by various stakeholders, the greater the possibilities and challenges for managing that information across those stakeholders. This expansion in scope has by no means occurred in a well-orchestrated fashion. On the contrary, it has evolved organically at different speeds and veracity throughout markets and industry contexts. In some cases there now exists a level of regulation about how information gets shared via mandates or incentives, in other cases the evolution of BIM depends on client demand or simply on the skill level of operators.
One commonality among these diverse propagations of BIM is the fact that until now, there has never been a clear educational pathway toward becoming a BIM Manager. When asking BIM Managers about their background at any conference, seminar, or local user-group session, they will likely represent a broad range of professional affiliations: (Recovering) Architects, Engineering Drafters, Quantity Surveyors, Project Managers, Service Contractors, Specialist Consultants — just to name a few. Some of these experts are self-taught and they have picked up their skills vocationally; others may have attended specialist courses or were introduced to BIM as part of their tertiary education. Others may have learned about BIM from colleagues in practice, and some simply may have picked up BIM as an expansion of the documentation processes they were used to from 2D/3D CAD.
From the early 2010s onward a number of professional bodies and academic institutions have started to offer tiered BIM Management courses with accreditations or certifications. Such courses denote that there exist fundamental, overarching themes that can be addressed in the context of BIM Management. The Singaporean BCA began their local BIM certifications in 2011–2012 as part of their BIM Academy.5 Around the same time, the HKBIM in Hong Kong introduced entry requirements for their membership.6 The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) started their BIM education program7 with a Certificate of Management — Building Information Modeling (CM-BIM) in 2011–2012. More recently, the UK–based Building Research Establishment Limited (BRE) announced a BIM training and certification pathway that focuses on the UK mandate that targets BIM Level 28 proficiency of stakeholders by 2016. What sets the BRE9 approach apart from others is the split between Task Information Managers (TIM), Project Information Managers (PIM), and Project Delivery Managers (PDM). Less comprehensive, but with global outreach, is the BIM Manager accreditation introduced by the RICS in late 2013–early 2014; it predominantly addresses BIM Management for Chartered Surveyors, but accreditation is provided globally (albeit referring predominantly to a UK BIM context). The Canada BIM Council, CanBIM10, joins the ranks of other industry bodies by establishing a Certification Program to provide: A benchmark for individuals to be certified to nationally standardized and recognized levels of BIM Competency and Process Management.
All of the above courses and accreditations were established by their respective industry bodies within the four years or less leading up to the first release of this publication. Many more are likely to follow. It is fair to assume that few, if any, of the BIM Managers who offer their feedback in this publication gained their knowledge from these courses. Yet this type of accreditation will become increasingly relevant for the second and third generation of BIM Managers to follow. How far the essence of BIM Management can be taught in class remains to be seen. BIM accreditation is without doubt an important stepping stone in order to address the epistemological aspect of BIM.
Figure 1–3 The new Royal Adelaide Hospital Construction BIM Services Model by the Hansen Yuncken Leighton Contractors Joint Venture.
© Hansen Yuncken Leighton Contractors Joint Venture
Figure 1–4 The new Royal Adelaide Hospital Field BIM used by the Hansen Yuncken Leighton Contractors Joint Venture.
©Hansen Yuncken Leighton Contractors Joint Venture
Defining what ought to be known in the context of BIM leads to a clear articulation of competencies and skills to be had by BIM Managers.
Defining Good, or Even “Best Practice,” BIM
The term “Building Information Modeling” has remained of such a generic nature that interpretations about its meaning are vast and many. Some see “Modeling” as a verb, describing the activity of generating, assembling, and coordinating virtual building information.11 Others refer to BIM as “a model” of building information, either in terms of geometric components, data, or a mix between the two. Considering the vast differences in defining BIM itself one needs to wonder if it is possible to define good BIM, or even “best practice” BIM.
The Big Picture
In some cases these documents lead to the generation of national policies or even mandates. An example of such guidelines is the UK Publicly Available Specification PAS 1192 with all its components and additions; another example is the State of Ohio BIM protocol.12 These documents present the bigger picture of the aspirations related to BIM in local construction industries. They provide useful frameworks and a point of orientation to work toward for practices within a local industry context.
A semantic approach to any BIM definition is better left to the theorists. The work presented here is far more interested in the applicability of BIM as it unfolds in everyday practice. For that reason, this publication focuses on practical outreach and the application of tried and tested approaches to implementing BIM by drawing from the experience of leading BIM Managers around the world. It reports on cutting-edge research and practical use that helps to maximize the results of BIM-enabled workflows. Getting BIM right can never be a linear process as BIM is an ever-moving target. Well implemented BIM always relates to the combination of attitude/mindset and approach to the management of information across collaborators in general. Any attempt to defining Best Practice BIM needs to take into consideration BIM's transformative character that influences the array of stakeholders affected by its application.
We learn from examples and, when talking about the BIM, those examples often reveal a breadth of issues that cut through different, professional, cultural, and market-related contexts.
Reporting from the Trenches
When German Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel saw the checkered flag indicating that he had won the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2009, it is very unlikely that he was aware of the eventful period leading up to the racetrack's construction. The Yas Marina Circuit had just been finished in record time to host the final race of the season. Commissioned by Aldar Properties PJSC, one of the largest developers in the United Arab Emirates,
